Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan

As requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016 (Istanbul, Turkey), a joint World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Reactive Monitoring mission is due to be undertaken in the near future as soon as the invitation letter from the Government of Pakistan (Province of Punjab) is issued.

The World Heritage Committee at its 40th session (Istanbul, 2016) expressed its serious concern about the development of the Orange Line Metro and requested the State Party to prepare a visual impact study of the Orange Line Metro project to be presented to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before pursuing the works related to the Orange Line Metro associated with the Shalamar Gardens;

Furthermore, the World Heritage Committee requested the relevant government to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, at its earliest convenience, to examine the Orange Line Metro project, to discuss the same with the relevant Government authorities, as well as to review the management and protection arrangements of the property, with a view to considering whether there is an ascertained or potential danger to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property (see the details of the World Heritage Committee decision: http://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/3418).

The mission team will hold consultations with the relevant authorities, as well as all other stakeholders including civil society. The mission will prepare a joint report that sets out the conclusions as well as the recommendation for review by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS. The final report and the working documents on this item will be submitted to World Heritage Committee for examination at its 41st session to take place in Krakow (Poland) in July 2017.

The State Party was also requested to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017 an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.

Decisions

Notes the efforts made by the State Party to address the conservation of the property and the steps taken to revise the conservation plan, including the revitalisation of the training institute, although no further details as to the organigram and timeline for its establishment have been provided;

Also notes that, to date, the State Party has not formally submitted a proposal for a minor boundary modification, which would include an enlarged buffer zone for the property as well as the adopted regulatory measures;

Expresses its serious concern about the development of the Orange Line Metro and requests the State Party to prepare a visual impact study of the project to be presented to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before pursuing the works of the Orange Line Metro associated with the Shalamar Gardens;

Reminds the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, technical details, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), for all proposed projects that may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property prior to their approval, for review by the Advisory Bodies;

Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property at its earliest convenience, to examine the Orange Line Metro project and to discuss the same with the relevant Government authorities and to review the management and protection arrangements of the property;

Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017 an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017, with a view to considering whether there is an ascertained or potential danger to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.